Josh Freeman says he’s making progress, wants to start

Posted by Michael David Smith on November 8, 2013, 9:57 PM EDT

AP

Vikings quarterback Josh Freeman, who was quickly made the starter after arriving in Minnesota but has been demoted from first string to third string, says he believes he can start for the Vikings again this year.

Freeman told the St. Paul Pioneer Press that he believes he is getting better within Minnesota’s offense and he hopes coach Leslie Frazier lets him start again.

“I’m making a lot of progress from my first game,” Freeman said. “I can’t speak for the coaches. I can’t speak for Leslie. I’m just working as hard as I can. When they need me to go in I plan to go in and play well, whenever that may be.”

At the moment, Freeman is behind both Christian Ponder and Matt Cassel on the Vikings’ depth chart, but he is eager to show he deserves to be No. 1.

“Nobody in the NFL doesn’t want to be the starter,” Freeman said.

After getting a chance to start in both Tampa Bay and Minnesota this season, and after playing poorly in both places, Freeman has a lot of work to do to convince anyone he deserves to be a starter again.

Why does it seem like a bunch of players today have no regard for the Head Coach anymore? Freeman referred to his HC (boss) as “Leslie” rather than “Coach Frazier”. There have been several quotes like that throughout the league. Coaches have been referred to by first name (Leslie, Andy, Bill, Pete, etc.) and even nicknames like Kube or Foxy (even Chucky a few years ago). I know it seems petty but do you think players referred to past coaches that way? (Vince, Tom, John, Don, Chuck, etc.)

Freeman’s situation is kind of a microcosm of a problem the NFL is facing league wide.
The college ranks are producing defensive players that are bigger, faster, and stronger every year. There’s no way to make a quarterback that is smarter and more accurate through the weight room.
These guys are entering the league and seeing entire defenses composed of players at a level that maybe one or two players were at in the defenses they faced in college.
Offensive coordinators have tried to even the field for their mainly college level quarterbacks by installing college offenses.
It’s not working. Except for the rare case, they’ll get beat up and will be out of the league in not many years.
The pendulum has swung toward defensive players, and it’s gonna take some smart coaches to figure out how to position their quarterback to be successful.

I’m gonna be so mad if we win more than 3 games this year. there is no reason to try at this point. start Joe Webb or call Fran tarkenton or something. hopefully ponder is OK and stays in the whole game so we can lose out

He will do better……given this extra time, he will at least be more comfortable and wouldn’t have any excuse for poor play. He will get another chance to show what he can do. That is the only way they will know if they want to try and keep him in the future.

He should have never been put in that position as starter a month ago. Horrible coaching decision. Let him learn the system, and players first. I sure he’s not Minnys answer, but we’ll see which Ponder shows up in Seattle.

I let Freeman slide for that first Minnesota game. He hadn’t been with the team but 10 days. How could anyone expect him to learn the playbook, develop timing with his runners and receivers (much less his Center) all the while in the midst of his moving to a new city.

I’m sure he was eager to prove himself, but having him start so soon after coming on board was too much.

Christian Ponder has positive attributes there’s no doubt about it. He faults and inconsistency are apparent. In a certain sense he reminds me of Brad Johnson, competent, high character, intelligent but never to be mistaken with elite. Brad Johnson won a super bowl if I’m not mistaken, but he had great defense. Given the money they are paying Jared Allen I would see he has more to answer than does Ponder in far as the Vikings woes this season go.

Freeman SUCKS, Hard to believe he had a concussion, you need a brain. He should just take the money and run. He is the worst of the 3 stooges. Ponder has to quit letting the other teams score 40 points.

With Ponder hurt and Cassell not a part of the Viking’s “future,” I’m guessing Freeman will get his wish soon enough. However, this falls into the category of “be careful what you wish for.” I’m not sure if it’s mental or chemical, but Freeman has zero chance to succeed.

I think he deserves another start. He shouldn’t be judged based upon 1 game that he was ill-prepared for, and thrown into. Ponder is hurt and Cassel will be gone after the year so give the guy another opportunity to show what he can do.

To hold that first game with the Vikings against him is ignorant. He had only been there two weeks and they had him throw the ball 53 times. By the way, Bucs have lost 17 games in a row when he isn’t the starter.

You’re right, Mr. Freeman. You can’t speak for the coaches, who make the decision whom to start. So, why speak at all? Let your play speak for itself and if you’re deserving, you’ll play because your coaches’ jobs depend upon victories. Right now, your coaches aren’t willing to let their futures ride with you, which speaks more loudly than you can ever do. So, be quiet.

Suddenly Greg Schiano is looking like a coach who made the best of a bad situation he inherited. With Freeman he had a talented QB who wasn’t performing up to par so he took the following steps :

1. He gave Freeman the opportunity to sink or swim. He sank.

2. He installed untested rookie Glennon at QB who has performed well for an untested rookie. Obviously some plays are better than others.

3. Besides giving Glennon a chance to show his wares and gain valuable playing time, the Bucs should know in uncertain terms whether he is the QB of the future, or a competent and now experienced backup.

4. Schiano has Tampa in a position where they can make an informed choice on what to do with their very high pick in next year’s draft. If Glennon is the answer, trade out. If Glennon is not the answer then draft one of the several talented QBs that will be available.

The Bucs are a work in progress, and with their instability at QB and influx of new players, were never serious contenders anyways. Out of the playoffs is out of the playoffs whether you’re 2-14 or 4-12.

Although this season has been a disappointment for Bucs fans for a variety of reasons. The team has itself in a position to improve considerably if the right choices are made this offseason.

Josh Freeman can’t start on a then 1 win football team when he arrived? HE can’t even warrant enough confidence from the coaching staff for purposes of a test drive the rest of the year to see if he can be their guy? They are paying this guy what $3mill for 10 games, and yet he doesn’t warrant them checking him out. He gets benched after a phantom concussion diagnosis after the first game. Eventually, the issues between this guys ears (and maybe his nostrils, if you hear some of the rumors here in Tampa) will come to light. This won’t turn into a Doug Williams type turn around for him. At best he will be a journeymen back up. If Coach Ra remains in DC, I predict he ends up there backing up RG3.

He can’t be practicing too much being third string. No Mr Freemason your ship came and sailed.
Ponder who has a guardian angel lite a fire under him and he is playing well, well enough to keep his job.
If either Casell or Freeman showed something Ponder would have been toast now its the other way around.

I was impressed with Freeman his rookie year. I was more impressed with him his second year. Then he lost whatever he had that made him good. I don’t think a player can get than back. It has happened to other QBs over the years. Have a great season or two, then it is like they forgot how they did it and can’t learn how to do it again. Opportunities don’t keep coming in the NFL. You either have it today, or you don’t.

Bottom line. Freeman will never get the magic back because he thought it was all him and it was only 1/11th him. It goes to being a team player. He might not openly say that it is all him, but he has that in his mind and it has made hime a sub standard player.

People forget that this guy threw for almost 4100 yards and 27 touchdowns in 2012 and is only 25 years old. If the Vikings could develop him and reduce turnovers he could certainly stretch the field and give Adrian Peterson some running lanes.

What people have to understand is (and I am a Viking fan) we shouldn’t be worried about wins and losses this year. The Vikings should be worried about figuring things out for the future (coaches included). They know what they have in Ponder. They know what they have in Cassell. They don’t know what they have in Freeman and they paid him more than both Ponder and Cassell. Play him the rest of the year so they can rule him out for next year. Or maybe his (Freeman’s) head gets straight and he re-learns the concept of accuracy in which he hasn’t had in about 1 1/2 years. If that is the case, maybe they have a decent QB or at least a decent backup.

In addition, it really doesn’t matter what QB plays since the defense can’t stop a pop-warner team. I’m not a Ponder apologist but the games they lost this year are because of lot of issues. Not just the QB. Ponder has actually played decent enough to win a few of these games. It’s the defense that let’s them down in addition to horrible coaching, game planning and play calling. It’s pretty obvious.

We can blame Ponder, Cassel and Freeman in which I have. The truth is I believe the Vikings would have beaten the Giants if Ponder or Cassell started that game. That, in addition to the 3 last minute losses, the Vikings are 6-3 right now instead of 2-7.

My point is not to try and convince people the Vikings are a good team. 2-7 is just that, 2-7. It’s to point out there are a lot of issues in addition to the QB. But even with all that, they are very close to being in the playoff hunt if it weren’t for about 3 minutes of football and 1 game of stupidity by throwing in a QB that doesn’t know the offense or have timing down with their players.